Back in June, I offered to write about city agencies, churches and individuals who need volunteers for their youth-related programs.

That same week, City Manager Terry Reidy asked Social Services Director Tony Nuccio, Police Director Lou Jordan, and staff members Leesha Floyd and Cheryl Pearsall to assemble local groups offering summer programs for Asbury Park children.

The response was nothing short of amazing: Much like the parable of the loaves and fishes, participants described almost three dozen current programs encompassing everything from soccer, extreme sports, swimming and traditional camping to computers, career development, leadership training and reading - and that doesn't count jazz camp, chess, marching band or surfing.

"People were surprised by the level of programming already available," Terry recalled, "and, quite frankly, so was I."

As the group met on subsequent weeks, the summer offerings continued to grow: Code Enforcement Director Bill Gray described a Belmar sailing program that welcomed Asbury Park children. Robert Taylor of the Boys & Girls Club said he planned to start evening programs for teenagers and Saturday afternoon swim times for families.

Salvation Army Majors Jeffery and Jessica Bassett - noting a lack of late-afternoon programs in July - kicked off a 5 to 7 p.m. summer camp with volunteers from the Concerned Christian Coalition.

The chief frustration that everyone reported? "We found out that we were each separately doing a ton of stuff, but there was no central clearinghouse to share the information with Asbury Park families and other service providers," Terry said.

To help spread the word, Cheryl quickly compiled a directory of summer activities and Leesha provided city schools with enough copies for every student. Program information was also sent to area churches and posted on the city's website (www.cityofasburypark.com).

But, as Terry also acknowledges, this is only a beginning. The impromptu group that he, Tony and Lou gathered has christened itself the Asbury Park Community Youth Advisory Committee (APCYAC), and members have pledged to coordinate their year-round youth programs and work together to involve the community.

And, to ensure that city youth programs evolve in the right direction, APCYAC held a June 24 session with an unbeatable team of experts: about 15 city youngsters, 'tweens and teens who candidly shared their needs and impressions with APCYAC members.

The panel was led by Jasmen Britt, the 15-year-old high school student who you may also recognize as the cheerful, capable receptionist in the city manager's office this summer.

And Rehnita Rudolph, the recent Asbury Park High School graduate I wrote about in June, also participated.

"How do you attract children to city youth programs?" activity directors wanted to know.

"Go where the kids are," Jasmen advised. Schools, sporting events, even street corners are places to catch their interest.

"You have to be consistent," Rehnita added, noting that many programs fold just as they begin to build acceptance and momentum, and young people view them with mistrust.

Rehnita pointed out that a lot of recreation programs also isolate children by age group. "Younger kids don't have older kids to look up to, and young males don't have older role models," she said. "Put older kids in charge of recreation programs. High school stars could teach sports to younger children."

She and the participants agreed that kids need solid ways to express their creativity. "A lot of kids like to write. Why not start a spoken word club or cafe?"

One major programming gap still exists with regard to older teens and young adults. "Most of my peers are asleep right now [mid-morning] because there's no summer jobs and nothing else to do," Rehnita said, adding that she and Lou are working on a proposal for a midnight basketball league for next summer.

Lack of transportation and parental commitment are two significant factors that sometimes derail city programs. Recreational programmer Courtney Bison of the Monmouth County Park System noted that she recently had 27 kids sign up for a Saturday program at the Salvation Army. Only three kids showed up on the appointed day.

No one needs to be told that the problems facing Asbury Park children are complex - too complex in many cases to be solved by a simple recreation program. But partnerships like the APCYAC are a strong - and necessary - first step to turning kids lives around.

Which, as I've harangued you before, is where you come in. Look at the list of current youth programs on the city's website. Bookmark it for updates.

And try to decide where you can contribute. Financial support is wonderful. Sharing your time, heart and expertise is even better.

And, if your tastes run more to health care, food programs, senior services, affordable housing or job development, there's something for you, too.

Even before the first APCYAC meeting was held, Majors Jeffery and Jessica Bassett scheduled a July 8 "Service Providers Forum" at the Salvation Army that gathered agencies in each of these fields. Give the Salvation Army a call at 732-775-8698 to find out how you can get involved.

The answer may just change your future - and Asbury Park's.

(One last note: If yours was one of the many families affected by the unexpected July 26 closing of the Head Start summer enrichment program, give Leesha Floyd a call at 732-502-5759. Leesha tells me that her office will work to include those children in the city's summer recreation program.)